Snow-road machine



v.nu e e h S .mw e e h s 2 E. Am ULA LM DI.D Pm R WW O N s d. d 0 M O m110.419,351. Patented Jan. 14, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sh'eets-Sheet` 2. W. F. PLEAS. SNOW ROAD MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 14, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.-

WILSON E. PLEAS, or EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN. l

SNOWQROAD MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part` of Letters Patent No. 419,351, dated January14, 1890.

Application filed July 23, 1889. Serial No. 318,399. (No model.)

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, WILSON F. PLEAS, of

' Eau Claire, Eau Claire county, I/Visconsin,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snow-Road Machines,of which y the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in j attachments for logging-sleds,designed to v:remove the superfluous snow from the pathway, and tofurrow out in the ice ruts to guide the runners; and it consists inarranging between the bobs of a sled an adjustable V- shaped snow-plow,which by suitable attachments may be raised or lowered and adjusted insuitable position for clearing away the accumulated snow on the pathway,and also in an attachment to the sled-runner, whereby a groove or rutmay be cut out through the accumulated snow and ice beneath to form 'atrack for the runners.

My invention further consists in the construction and combinationhereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 1s a plan View of a sled equipped with my improved rear bobs 5by means of the cross-roll 6.

7 are the wings or mold-boards of the snowplow, which meet to form anacute angle eX- tending forward, being hinged or jointed at the angleand secured to the cross-beam 3 by means of suit-able link or otherconnection. While any suitable loose connection may be employed for thispurpose, I prefer tov use a clevis or loop 9, having a straight verticalbar, which passes through the eye 8, rigidly secured to the cross-beam,by means of which the position may be vertically adjusted in the eye 8.

The ears or lugs 11 of the clevis receive a inward into propervsupportswhen not in use.

These braces are secured, preferably, to the inner face of thewings,.and at their other ends to the cross-beam 2l of the rear bob. Thearms 14 are of sufcient length to spread the wings of the plow so as todrop outside of the runners of the rear bob, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to raise and lower the plow when desired, I prefer to arrangein suitable bearings, supported preferably on the cross-beams of theforward and rear bobs, the shaft 16, arranged above the snow-plow andslightly to one side of the middle line and in a vertical plane paralleltherewith and sloping toward the rear, the forwaifd bearing Ll5 beingpreferably pivoted centrally on the sled-beam to allow the sled to turn.This shaft is provided at its forward end with a lateral arm 17, rigidlysecured thereto, and pivotally connected at its outer end to thesnow-plow. The rear end of the shaft 16 is provided with the worm-wheel1S, which meshes with the screw l 19 Of the cross-shaft 20, journaled insuitable bearings to the cross-beam 2l; also rigidly secured to theshaft 16 is fthe pulley wheel or drum 22. Attached to this drum are thelifting chains or ropes 23, which are attached 'at their outer ends,respectively, to the wings of the snow-plow, and by means of which thewings may be' lifted when the drum is rotated to wind the chains uponit. I prefer to pass these chains or ropes through the eyes 241 ofpivoted arms 25, by means of which the chains give a vvertical pull tothe wings of the snow-plow when operated, the arms 25 rising as thewings are lifted in the operation.

In order to partially rotate the shaft 1'6, so as to raise the plow, Iprefer to provide the spider 26, journaled in the bail-shaped support27, the ends of which are arranged to turn upon the shaft 20, and thespider rests upon the ground in the rear of the sled.

Suitable sprocket-wheels 28 and 29, arranged, respectively, on the shaft2O and the spider 26, and carrying the link-belt 30, serve to transmitthe motion of the spider to the shaft 20, which in turn operates theshaft 16 by means of the screw and worm-wheel, as described. A lever31,pivotally secured to the sled and its outer end secured to the bail27, serves to raise and lower the bail and its spider, as desired,thehandle end of the lever being hooked down to the beam of the sled, soas to support the spider when in raised position, as shown in Fig. 2.

The runner attachment (shown in details, Figs. It and 5) is designed tocut a groove or pathway in the ice underneath the runner. This consistsof a sharp-edged scoop or plow 32, which is arranged in the body of therunner, the runner itself being preferably cutaway, and metallic sideplates 33, arranged on each side of the runner, between which the scoopis pivoted, and is moved by means of a pivoted lever 34. This lever hasone end fulcrumed uponV a suitable support35, secured to thesled-runner,- and is connected by the link 36 totlieforward end of therutcutter, by means of which the cutting end of the rut-cuttei-:may be4raised or lowered, the handle end 37 of `the lever being adjusted atany desired height by means of a pin inserted in holesin the guide 38,lin which the handle of the lever moves. vThe rut-cutter is provided,preferably, with an outwardly-curved i wing 39, which extends backwardandoutward from said runneigso that the particles of ice and snow whichare cut away and gathered by the rut-cutter are discharged outside ofthe sledjtrack. The body of the rut-cutter is preferably formed with aslightlycurved bottom and top with parallel straight sides, as shown incross-section in Fig. 5. This is employed inthe constructing of asled-roadl where the superfluous snow is cleared away by the plow, theVremainder being wet down to form ice and then cut into a regular anduniform rut by means of the rut-cutter, in which the sled-runners areguided. 3

Operation: It being desired to clear loose fallen snow from the roadway,the snow-plow is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1 by turning thespider backward by hand until the plow is as low as desired, so as toride upon the surface of the ground, and the sled being drawn over theroadway the superfluous snow is thrown aside in the usual manner by theplow. I'Vhen the work of clearing is' finished, the lever 31 is unhookedfrom its support 40, allowing the spider 26 to drop upon the ground.I/Vith the continued forward movement of the sled the spokes of thespider sinking into the snow cause it to act as a drive-wheel operatingthe belt 30, and through it the shaft 2O and the shaft 16, whereby theforward end of the snow-plow is raised by the arm 17, and thelifting-chains 23 are rolled upon the drum 22, whereby the wings of thesnow-plow are raised, their jointed arms folding together and allowingthe wings to swing inward and to rest upon the sled. The lever 31 isthen depressed, so as to raise 'the spider from the ground, when theplow can be transported upon the sled. \Vhen in forming the ice-path itis desired to cut a runner-rut in the ice, the lever 34 is lowered so asto depress the cutting-edge 41 of the rut-cutter below the under face ofthe runner. This then serves, like the chisel of a plane,`to cut an evengroove in the ice, the particles of icebeing discharged from therutcutter by means of the wing 39 outside of the sled. The operation ofcutting the rut being completed, the lever 34 is again raisedsufficiently to bring the cutting-edge of the rutcutter above the bottomof the runner, and is secured in that position by a pin being insertedin the guide 38. In case it is desired to out ruts simply and not to usethe snowplow, the forward bobs may be disconnected and the snow -plowand its attachments taken off from the rear bob anda team attached tothe rear bobs to draw it' over the roadway and eut the ruts. In thiscase I prefer to attach to the ends of the cross-beam of the bobsoutwardly-extending wings 42, which are held in position by check orbrace rods 43, which thus serve as traek-olearers to throw the fragmentsof ice discharged from the rut-cutter out of the path.

I claim- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination, with abob-sled, of a snow-plow arranged between the forward and'rear bobs ofthe sled, having the wings 77 jointed t0- gether and loosely connectedto the forward bobs, jointed braces secured to said wings, and therearbobs adapted to hold said wings extended laterally, and suitablemeans operated by the forward movement of the sled to automaticallyraise said plow from the ground and deposit it upon the sled,substantially as described.

2. In a device ofthe class described, the combination, with a snow-plowhaving the wings 7 7 jointed together. at their forward ends and looselyconnected to the sled, of the jointed arms 14,:secured to said wings andadapted to extend them laterally, the roekshaft 16, arrangedlongitudinally of the sled above said snow-plow and having the arm 17connected to the forward end of said snow-plow and provided` with thedrum 22, the liftingchains 23, secured to said drum and yto the wings 77 and provided with the pivoted arms 25, and the spider 26, supported insuitable bearings in the rear of the sled and 'having suitableconnection with saidshaft 16, and adapted as rotated upon the surface ofthe ground to operate said shaft 16 and to raise said plow,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the runners of a sled, of a rut-cutter arrangedin the body of the sled-runner and pivotally supported therein, havingthe cutting-edge 41, adapted to be IOO ITO

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of June,1889.

WILSON F. PLEAS. In presence of- CHA-RLES H. SAWYER, WM. H. TRAWLEY.

